my own private Idaho

[staxxy]

so work is frantic and stressed and busy. The "round file" method of filing paperwork has finally caught up and I am trying to recreate lost reciepts and stuff... wheee...

but the fucked up part is that there is a book I am editing/supposed to edit. The book is due Monday.
There are around 140 pages that are being redlined by other people... I just learned *today* that their people told them they had to get it to us *on* friday. So I am getting around 140 pages to edit sometime friday, and I am taking half the day for the wedding stuff (and I *am* taking it dammit). Even if I weren't taking half the day off, there is no way I can edit 100+ pages in *1* day, and the document is in In Design, just for that little push of extra difficulty. :(

and I will probably be blamed for this. Even tho it isn't actually my fault at all. :( Oh yeah, and speaking of things for which I have been getting blame. I found out why my coworker is always up my nose about *everything*... He's the Project Manager. Now if only they had *told* me that when I *started* this whole mess could have been avoided. How can I include him in the proper chain of command information loop if I don't know he actually *is* in it?



AAAARRRRRGGGHHHHHH

Comments

[sarmonster.livejournal.com]

Poor planning on their part does not for you a crisis make. They messed up, they can wait. You're just as human as the rest of 'em(eek).

Re: Heh...

[staxxy.livejournal.com]

It's just annoying that *I* get blamed for *everything* around here... not that it isn't to be expected (newest person, the assistant and therefore the lowest man on the pole)...

*sigh*

alas.. it is the way it goes. I am only hoping that I do not end up *losing* this job... :(

Re: Heh...

[sarmonster.livejournal.com]

In this age of Bullshit, the best thing you can do is to take responsibility for it(even if it wasn't your fault).

Re: Heh...

[staxxy.livejournal.com]

yup. It's really the easiest.

like I said. I just hope it doesn't lose me my job.

Re: Heh...

[sarmonster.livejournal.com]

Naaaaaaaaaaaaaaah.

Re: Heh...

[staxxy.livejournal.com]

*hugs* thanks babe!

Don't panic.

[weaselmom.livejournal.com]

No problem! This is a project, and like any other project there are three interrelated components that can be altered if necessary: time, cost, and quality. (I usually add "scope" as a fourth, but nobody listens to me.) It sounds like the time component, the Monday deadline, can't be altered. That leaves us cost and quality. Could you work on it over the weekend, thus getting paid lots of overtime, thus inflating the cost component but not affecting time or quality? If so, you can present that as an option. Finally, the last possibility is quality (or let's say quality and scope). If you can't expand the time or cost components, you will have to scale back the quality and quantity of your editing, because something has to give. Maybe you can all agree that you'll just edit out typographical and obvious grammatical errors, but not edit for format or sense. I'm not sure what kind of editing responsibilities you have on this project.

Would you feel comfortable presenting it to Them in this way and letting them decide? It allows you to remain calm and professional and shows you are looking for a solution. It also makes somebody else take the responsibility for blowing the deadline, budget, or quality. Your co-worker, the "project manager," can't possibly argue with you about it, because this is all Project Management 101 stuff. I hate to see you being forced to swallow the blame and worrying about losing your job.

If it's any consolation, this happens to my editor friends at Microsoft all the time. They are the last to get the documentation, and nobody else cares that the editors literally don't have time to do their jobs. The docs just go out error-ridden and incomprehensible. It's all about the CYA. Hmm... this probably isn't cheering you up any.

Re: Don't panic.

[staxxy.livejournal.com]

I have actually already offered to come in this weekend but I was planning to follow up on that tomorrow.

and the Project Manager guy, well ... here is an example of how his brain works... this should explain it all...

(true tale: one week I had several things I was working on that were related directly to Client needs/requests or to Marketing (potential clients). I was very very busy getting these things done (all directed to be done by The Big Boss [partner in the company, principal at our office]. Thomas asked me at the beginning of the week to create file lables and content directories for the files of computer software/information that we have in our office [one drawer, about 15 files - enough that it will take at least a couple of hours to get it all done up]. So every day, twice each day, he asked me if I had it done yet. To which I responded that I would get it done when I was able to, but at the time I was working on *all of these other things in more detail than is important here*. On Wednesday, while I am *obviously* still working on these things for both our Big Boss and Clients, he gets up in my face about *when* will I get it done, and why don't I have it done yet? And I have been working steadily on this other stuff, including talking on the phone to the clients several times and the Big Boss several times and stuff...)

this is just an *example* of his priorities. He has also been known to get in my face about *when* I would accomplish tasks that he had asked me to do after the Big Boss asked him to do them with *me standing right there*.

I think he has a serious case of "that isn't my job so it has to be yours". And a total lack of understanding of how priorities actually work in the real world (ie, it brings money into our office is #1, it has a deadline soon #1 or #2, it is something for our own asthetics in the office, not that important - much further down the list).

Isn't prioritizing supposed to be like a required pre-course to get *into* project manager 101? ;)

Re: Don't panic.

[weaselmom.livejournal.com]

Point taken. He's a total jerk! But he's just a peer, right? He can't technically tell you what to do and make it stick? It sounds like your boss needs to have a little chat with everybody and clarify your role and responsibilities, where he says clients' needs will always come first.

I'm so sorry that you've entered the "honeymoon's over" part of the job. I always hate getting through this part. But if you're really worried about losing your job, then document, document, document.

::hugs::

Re: Don't panic.

[staxxy.livejournal.com]

yeah. that is a good point. :)

documentation is my friend. :D